I used to go to a local Italian restaurant. I was aware that he was a major republican contributor. Then he put tables around with Bush literature on them. I have not been back since.
That’s pretty much my stance, too. Obviously these businesses want to capitalize on their religion. I’m sure that the place would fall down if an atheist like me ever even crossed the threshold.
As a consumer, I also tend not to patronize any business that does this, mainly because I go into a business for a product or service, not to hear about your political beliefs. None of my clients have any inkling of my political beliefs–they aren’t relative to the architectural services I provide. I have had very liberal clients and very VERY conservative clients and not one of them knew where I stood on the political spectrum—How is it relative to my services? It isn’t like there is Democratic or Republican Architecture!
There is a local candy store here in my home town that I stopped going to. She had my email as part of a service where she would let me know when she got something new in her store–great, I enjoyed that. Then right before the election she went all whacko and started sending me right wing glurge about the birthers, etc. So I politely asked via email not to send me that stuff. Of course she sent more stuff–something about Hannity going to blow the whole Obama story wide open (hell I doubt Hannity can blow his own nose, let alone handle truthfully a major story). So this time I asked more forcefully to not be sent this crap.
She sends me more shit! And admonishes me for trying to stifle her political voice. So this time I respond, and first off give her neutral cites that counteract everything she sent. Then I basically told her that she is welcome to her political views and she is welcome to do this as long as she realizes that there is a economic fallout from it. I explained as above that none of my clients know my poltical beliefs as it isn’t relative to the services I provide them–and I come to your store to buy candy not to hear what your political beliefs are. So kindly go fuck yourself and take me off this fucking email list (well I said it more politely then that, but that was the gist of it).
Haven’t stepped a foot in that store since, haven’t heard from her. I am sure we are both happy, so a win-win for all.
I don’t care unless it’s very extreme. If two businesses are equal in quality, but one of them has a philosophy I support, that would probably swing me to their side. Then again, if somebody agreed with the same things I do but was a total jackass about it, I’d go with the other guys.
Allow me to commend the McDonald’s simulacrum of the Chik-Fil-A sandwich. As an added bonus, MickeyD’s is the undisputed champ of french fried potatoes.
I don’t shop at Hobby Lobby, because while it may be admirable of them to give their employees Sundays off to “spend time with their families” (a blatant misdirection, as many of them seem to be located next to Mardel stores), such a policy obviously supports a particular philosophy that does not recognize people from cultures whose days to “spend time with their families” are NOT on Sundays (i.e., Saturdays for Jewish employees). Plus, they’re just like Michael’s, but with lower quality.
I don’t buy Chik-Fil-A due to their preaching, but ohhhh, I do sometimes regret that choice.
In-and-Out isn’t in Colorado, so I don’t have to make that decision, and Domino’s 1) sucks and 2) doesn’t have even that tangential connection to right-wing politics anymore.
I do make a habit of NOT patronizing any business out of the Yellow Pages or in my neighborhood that make a point of displaying the Christian fish symbol, or better yet, Bible verse citations in the windows or ad.
I will, as I said in another thread, buy Hobby Lobby’s store brand of yarn (I Love This Yarn), but I won’t browse in the store for anything else. I do wish that ILTY wasn’t a store brand, because I’d buy it at Michael’s or JoAnn’s in a heartbeat, if I could.
As someone who used to work on Sundays in exchange for having Saturdays off, I have to say that different people have different needs. The woman who would have worked Sundays liked to go to church on that day, and I prefered to spend all day Saturday playing D&D. Both of us were able to work on the days we prefered.